Sounds of the Heart

Imagining the last remnants of a fading mind…

Children’s chatter and playground sounds

Echo and fade in the chambers of the heart.

Tatters of taunts flutter like ghosts

Moaning through tunnels and other lonely places.

The impact of flesh and crack of broken bones

Thump through the walls of empty houses.

Like phantoms they hover and haunt

Sounding the depths of dreams.

Old songs, forgotten melodies

Merge with forgotten faces.

Sadness swells the seas like a whale rising

Answering a mournful call.

Memories fade yet the sounds linger

Like a soul separated from its cage.

We gather them like confetti in the wind

Frantic in the pursuit of a coherent history.

As the last recollection winks out

Whose name will ride the final fading whisper?

Just as an athlete or dancer mourns the loss of strength, coordination, or grace with the passing of years, many of us, especially those who work with our minds, dread the loss of memories or talents, perhaps from Alzheimer’s or other neurodegenerative diseases. What would that look or feel or sound like? Even from a young age, I’ve dreaded, yet imagined that memory loss, a kid rolling around, trapped in the ribcage of a corpse. This is my first time giving voice to those imaginings.

Please, give your interpretation of what memory loss must feel like, and help us to sympathize with, and work to ease the plight of those so suffering. Publish where and when you like. I would love a tag so I can follow along but certainly don’t require it.

Thank you to FILZA CHAUDHRY for kindly inviting me to write for her amazing publication here:

I’d like to tag the stunning and phenomenal writers of WotWU to also check out and write for Filza’s pub:

John Griswold, Herr Jurke, Christopher Anderson, Walkey walkey, Tim Skellett, Matt Ray, Lee Ameka, Johnschlue, Donna L Roberts, PhD (Psych Pstuff), Dhan S, Dan Stout @boxyourbuddy, Venkat, Gerard Doorakkers, Bridget Webber, Madison Hunter, R. Rangan PhD, Frank Sturges, Lori Lamothe, Andrea Juillerat-Olvera, Susannah MacKinnie, Carlos Garbiras, Terry Mansfield, Puzi, kurt gasbarra, The Secret Aspirant, Panos Grigorakakis, Jonah Lightwhale, James G Brennan, Pablo Pereyra, Upasana Sharma, Genius Turner, Skanda Vivek, Anthi Psomiadou, Lucy The Eggcademic (she/her), Shrish Tariq, Jim Mason, Adelia Ritchie, PhD, Nuno Fabiao, JP Popham, William J Spirdione, Vincent Van Patten, Franco Amati, rsteiner, Rozalia Rafailidou, Robin Richey, Patrick M. Ohana, Joanna Vang, un p’tit je ne sais quoi, Paroma Sen, Cocoa Griot, Joseph Lieungh, Shalini C, Padma Bern, Robert Trakofler, SamaFathima, Synthia Satkuna, Jasmine Poulton, Mary Holden, Dandy Lioness, Trisha Traughber, Kevin Jahleel Ishimwe, John Levin, David Rudder, Dr. Jackie Greenwood, Daniel A. Teo, America Zed, Michele Thomas, Melissa Gouty, Mark Starlin, James Knight, Suntonu Bhadra, Gunnar De Winter, Imad, J.D. Harms, Hollie Petit, Ph.D., Alan Cope, Yve Laran, Jean Carfantan, Bill Abbate, R Tsambounieri Talarantas, Sarah Cords, Myriam Ben Salem, Bruce Noll, Amy Jasek, Rebecca Ruth Gould, Muhammad Nasrullah Khan, Christine Sander, Ana-Maria Schweitzer, r.j. quirk, Shanna Loga, Michael Stang, Mia Verita, Michael Burg, MD, James Goydos, MD, Kasun Ranasinghe, Grey Hen With A Pen, Citizen Upgrade, Joshua Gane, K. Barrett, Svetlana Smith, Rosy Gee, Anjali Samaraweera, Dr Ludovic Gros MD, Courtney Burry, Tom Belskie, Carolyn Hastings, Don Worsham, Rhonda Skinner, Rochelle Silva, Mario López-Goicoechea, Elle How, Don Be, Steve Williams, Liam Ireland, Simon Spichak, Matt Lillywhite, Bruce H. Cottman, Ph.D., David Andrew Wiebe, Audrey Malone, Gurpreet Dhariwal, J.C. Scull, Trista Ainsworth, Tom Hanratty, A. S. Deller, Jill Kelley, Vixen Lea, Gina L. Ryan, Christyl Rivers, Phd., Sylvia Wohlfarth, Carlyn Beccia, Grant Piper, Jamie Russo, Ms. Mary Ann, FILZA CHAUDHRY, Dr. Fatima Imam, Stuart Englander, Cooking at Home, Peggy Moss, Katie Michaelson, Michelle Berry Lane, Corinne Davis, SamanaQaseem, Diane Overcash, Princess Carrie Graham, Amanda Clark-Rudolph, Connie Song, Margie Pearl